Court archive

Court reports mentioning Portroe, Tipperary

2021-11-25 · Tipperary

Drunk and high man whose driving killed friend avoids prison for second time

Phelim Coady, aged 24, avoided prison for a second time after a Court of Appeal decision. He had been convicted of dangerous driving causing death, driving a dangerously deficient vehicle, and driving while intoxicated with alcohol and cannabis, and without insurance. The original sentence of two years and six months' imprisonment was fully suspended, and he received a four‑year driving ban. The Court of Appeal quashed that sentence, ruling it too lenient, but imposed a new non‑custodial term of four and a half years, with a two‑and‑a‑half‑year suspended portion and a two‑year custodial term suspended for three years. The driving ban remained unchanged. The judge noted Coady's remorse, mental fragility, and the mitigating influence of his friend's family's plea not to jail him. The case involved the fatal crash on 30 June 2019, when Stephen Gleeson, 21, was thrown from a Toyota Starlet and died. The other three occupants survived uninjured. Phelim Coady pleaded guilty.

2021-10-18 · Tipperary

Young car enthusiast distraught after telling gardai he'd 'killed best friend', appeal hears

Phelim Coady, aged 22, was found in tears beside the body of Stephen Gleeson after a fatal crash on June 30, 2019, in Garrykennedy, Co. Tipperary. The 1995 Toyota Starlet, owned by Gleeson, overturned at 5am after hitting a bend, throwing Gleeson from the rear window. Coady, who was intoxicated and under the influence of alcohol and cannabis, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death and driving a dangerously deficient vehicle. Judge Patrick Meghen sentenced him to two years and six months' imprisonment, suspended entirely, and banned him from driving for four years. The Director of Public Prosecutions appealed the sentence as unduly lenient, citing insufficient weight to aggravating factors. Coady's counsel described the incident as highly unusual, noting the car's poor condition and the fact that the other occupants walked away uninjured. The Court of Appeal heard the case and reserved judgment. The judge expressed sympathy for Gleeson's family and emphasized the need for consequences.